Bottle cleaning device



Patented Jan. 11, 1944 BOTTLE CLEANING DEVICE Henry G. Volckening, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Volckening Inc., a corporation of New York Application September 13, 1940, Serial No. 356,597

4 Claims. (Cl. -464) This invention relates to means especially useful in cleaning bottles or other containers.

In the operation of washing or cleaning bottles, such as milk bottles or beer bottles, or bottles for containing other beverages or materials, the so-called brush is mounted upon a rotating tubular member through which water is supplied in and about the brush to the interior of the bottle, the rotation of the brush with its support operating to brush or rub the interior surfaces of the bottle to cleanse them.

The brush comprises the working members, such as bristles, fingers or the like, which rub upon the surfaces to be cleaned, such working members being secured to a suitable carrier which is pivoted to the support so that the brush may wabble with relation to the support to adjust itself with relation to the surfaces to be cleaned.

In the machines where the brush is employed there is provided means for rotating the support and also means for withdrawing the brush into a stationary tube when the brush is not in operation, the brush being thrust out of the tube when it is brought into operation. The brush comprises Working members which extend longitudinally beyond the end of the carrier which are adapted to be forced against the bottom of the bottle in the cleaning operation. Other of the working members extend laterally from the carrier, being adapted to contact the sides of the bottle in the cleaning operation. The working members which are forced against the bottom of the bottle as referred to, are subjected to the hardest wear which is quickly destructive of bristles. This wear being the greater because the bottom of the bottle is generally dirtiest and requires intense and prolonged pressure to clean it. Rubber working members, however, extending beyond the end of the carrier and coming against the bottom of the bottle as referred to, have been found to resist the wear and to efficiently perform the cleansing operation.

If, however, the laterally extending Working members are of rubber they will, when withdrawn within the stationary tube referred to, be tightly compressed. If, under this condition, the water is shut off, so that the tube becomes dry and without lubrication, and also the rotation of the brush support is not stopped, the rubber working members will so cling to the stationary tube and there will be such a large amount of friction therebetween that the brush will be quickly distorted, if not practically destroyed, so that its efficiency will be impaired even if the brush is not rendered entirely useless. On the other hand if the laterally extending working members are bristles they may be compressed within the tube without entailing the disadvantages referred to. The bristles may be natural bristles obtained from animals or artificially manufactured bristles. Bristles made of material obtainable on the market under the name nylon are especially well adapted for this purpose. Bristles made of nylon are very much less absorptive of water than natural or animal bristles and thus very much better retain their stiffness under the conditions of use of the brush.

It is therefore the main object of the invention to provide a brush of the character specified which shall have its working members, which are subjected to the greatest wear, made more durable (While also producing cleansing efficiency) than other working members of the brush and at the same time avoid the disadvantages of making all of the working members of such materials, as above referred to.

The device including the more durable operating members, such as rubber, which extend beyond the end of the member carrier advantageously includes a circular continuous collar adapted to be gripped about the carrier by its resiliency, and fingers or working members extending therefrom. This collar furnishes not only an efiicient means of gripping the device to the member carrier, but also when it is placed so that it surrounds the carrier and also extends beyond the end thereof, it forms a buffer which prevents the carrier, usually of metal, from coming against, and abrading, the interior of the glass bottle. This is an important feature because it has been found that where the interior surface of the bottle has been scratched by the carrier of the working members, or other wise, the bottle will, if accidentally struck, when filled with gas charged beverage, fly into pieces usually with a loud report and to the possible damage of bystanders from the flying glass. Bottles with unscratched interior surfaces, however, may be struck or dropped and even rebound to a considerable extent without breaking.

It is, therefore, a further object of the invention to provide an eihcient device, including the more durable working members, and

It is a further object of the invention to provide a buffer whereby the interior of the bottle will not be scratched by the carrier for the working members.

It is most desirable, if not essential, that the device comprising the more durable working members, shall be securely fastened to the carrier so that mal-adjustment with or separation from the carrier, of such device shall be practically prevented. An advantageous manner of accomplishing this end is to pass a securing filament or pin through openings in the collar of the said device and. the carrier.

A further object of the invention may, therefore, be said to be the secure fastening of the device including the more durable working members, to the carrier, and

A further and more specific object of the invention may be said to be the securing of said device to the carrier by passing securing means through holes in the collar of said device and said carrier.

Other and ancillary objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the invention- Fig. 1 is a side elevation, the bottle being shown partly in section, of a cleansing device embodying the invention in cleansing position within a bottle;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the cleansing device;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device of Fig. 2, with the rubber and device removed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, on a still further enlarged scale, showing in section the device, including the end working members, in its relation to the end of the metal carrier;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. i; and

Fig. 6 is a ection on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, the cleansing device or brush comprises a carrier l for the working members, which carrier comprises a metal wire or rod doubled upon itself and twisted together whereby an eye 2 is formed at one end, the carrier being supported upon a rivet 3 passing through the eye and the walls of a nipple 4 adapted to be screwed on to the end of a longitudinally movable and rotatable pipe 5 through which water is supplied, such water passing between the carrier I and the walls of the nipple into and about the brush to be presently described.

The carrier 1 may turn or wabble upon the rivet 3 which facilitates the operation 'of the brush in the cleansing operation. The end B of the nipple 4 may be beveled inwardly so as to restrict the amount of wabble of the carrier and brush.

The laterally extending working members "I of the brush are inserted between the twisted parts of the wire of the carrier I and are held firmly by the twisting together of such parts. The working member I are bristles which may be obtained from animals or artificially produced, for instance they maybe made of the substance readily obtainable on the market under the name nylon.

About the free end 8 oi the carrier 1 is the continuous collar 9, which resiliently grips the carrier, of a device formed of rubber or rubberlike materials amongst which may be included synthetic or artificial rubber. Such device comprises the fingers or working members it which extend longitudinally beyond the free end of the carrier, such fingers being integral with the collar 9.

The collar 9, it will be seen, embraces or surrounds the carrier and also extends beyond the end 8 of the carrier whereby an efiicient buffer for preventing the sharp edges of the end 8 of the carrier from coming against the interior surfaces of the container being cleaned, is provided. The device comprising the collar 9 and fingers i0 is secured to the carrier not only by the resilient gripping of the collar 9 thereon, but is positively ecured by means of a metal wire, the portion H of which extends through openings 12 and I3 in the collar d and the opening id in the carrier. The wire is then wrapped in one or more convolutions i5 about the collar and carrier and the ends of the wire are twisted together at it. Each end of the wire proceeding from the twisted portion It then passes into loops, each as shown at H, on opposite sides of the carrier about tufts l3 and 19 of the adjacent bristles, the ends of the wire then being turned about the carrier 1 at 28 and the end finally secured together by twisting at 2!. This provides a secure and firm fastening of the rubber portion to the metal carrier and also serves as means for procuring a better allocation of the bristles.

In the operation of the device, the brush is thrust into the bottle into position as shown in Fig. 1 by moving the rotating supporting pipe 5 longitudinally. This causes the rubber working members it to impinge against the bottom of the bottle 22 and to be deflected outwardly into the position as shown in Fig. 1, this producing a considerable wear upon the rubber fingers. The bristles l project outwardly and rub and cleanse the side walls of the bottle, they being in contact with such side walls during the insertion of the brush into and its Withdrawal from the bottle so that the side Walls are cleaned throughout their lengths.

It will also be observed that the end 8 of the carrier is fully protected by the bufier constituted by the rubber collar 9 so that it is impossible for the ends of the metal carrier to abrade or come in contact with the walls of the bottle either in normal operation or if the carrier should become bent out of normal position.

While the invention has been illustrated in what is considered its best application it may have other embodiments within the scope of the claims without departing from its spirit and is not, therefore, limited to the structure shown in the drawing.

What I claim is:

l. A cleaning instrument comprising in combination a carrier for working members, a device comprising a collar and working members integral therewith and extending therefrom, said 001- lar encircling said carrier and said working members lying wholly beyond the end of said carrier and a wire extending through openings in said carrier and collar, said wire being Wound about said collar.

2. A cleaning instrument comprising in combination a carrier for working members, a device comprising a collar and working members integral therewith and extending therefrom, said collar encircling said carrier and said working members lying wholly beyond the end of said carrier and a wire extending through openings in said carrier and collar, said wire being Wound about said collar and about aid carrier outside said collar.

3. A cleaning instrument comprising in combination a carrier for the working members comprising a wire twisted upon itself and forming an eye at one end, a tubular support for said carrier, the said eye entering within said support, a pivot pin extending through aid eye and into said support, bristles gripped between the twisted wire portions of said carrier and extending laterally from said carrier, a rubber device comprising a collar and working members extending therefrom, a portion of said collar encircling said carrier and a portion of said collar extending beyond vthe end of said carrier, a wire extending through openings in said collar and the carrier, said wire being wound about said collar above the openings in the collar and also would about said carrier outside of said collar.

i. A cleaning instrument comprising in combination a carrier for the working members comprising a wire twisted upon itself and having an eye at one end, a tubular support for said carrier, said eye entering within said support, a pivot pin extending through said eye and into said support, bristles gripped between the wire portions of said carrier and extending laterally from said carrier, a rubber device comprising a collar and working members integral therewith and extending therefrom, said collar encircling the end of said carrier which is opposite the carrier end within said support and means for securing said collar .to said carrier.

HENRY G. VOLCKENING. 

